tutoring and enrichment

About

Welcome! My name is Erika Crossett and I live in Frontenac, Missouri with my 2 energetic kiddos and husband. My time teaching Kindergarten in an impoverished school provided me with many enriching educational experiences. These experiences molded me into an exceptional reading and math instructor who is able to meet all different learning styles and needs. My yearning to continue nurturing minds outside the classroom led me to create Play and Learn in 2014.

The families I work with at Play and Learn vary greatly in their educational and behavior needs and wants. The time spent talking with parents and developing new learning strategies for their children has been invaluable. These experiences and my continuous growth as an educator help me create individualized instruction for children with unique challenges such as ADD, communication disorders and occupational therapy concerns.

I offer a unique alternative to traditional tutoring and enrichment. My instruction incorporates multi-sensory activities, purposeful learning strategies and provides lesson plans tailored to every child’s academic and social needs.

I work with kids ages 18 months through 9-years-old on pre-reading skills, phonics, math, executive functioning, sensory motor, and social skills. My sessions enhance learning through collaborative learning and an instructional approach that incorporates multiple learning styles. I have my Masters in Elementary, Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education. Please visit me on Facebook or Instagram for more information. Or contact Play and Learn here

Non-traditional and unique in several ways:

I discover the learning style(s) your child favors and I individualize each lesson using multi-sensory activities that support your child’s learning style(s).

I use peer learning to construct a natural environment where kids can cognitively and socially excel from their peer interactions.

I teach your child strategies that focus on task analysis. Slow down and keep it simple.

I provide non-worksheet take home practice in the form of leveled readers, word work games, and online reading support.

testimonials

Thanks to Miss Erika, my stubborn just turned four year old is reading predictable texts!!! She is so proud of herself and we are so thankful for Miss Erika for lovingly pushing her to her best potential. We had to FaceTime so many people so she could “read” to them!! –Molly W.

My boys(7 and 5 yrs) and I are so looking forward to this summer! We have many fun day trips planned as well as their usual sports’ camps, but what I am most looking forward to is the peace of mind in knowing my boys won’t be subjected to the dreaded summer slide. Ms. Erika’s sibling sessions will keep their brains engaged through those long summer months so my soon-to-be kindergartener and second grader will continue building on the skills they have mastered during the school year. The individualized weekly Play and Learn sessions focus on reading, writing and math in the most creative and unexpected ways. Ms. Erika’s methods get these kids up and out of their seats to make learning more tactile and engaging which translates into FUN! And as a double bonus, I get the much needed alone time for those 2+ hours per week so many of us moms crave! -Michelle H.

We were truly blessed to find Play and Learn. Our daughter had been flagged for ADHD and in need of an OT. We were at a loss for what to do without the use of medications. We noticed a huge difference in just a few sessions with Erika. Our daughter actually looks forward to going and enjoys every session. Also, we just received an evaluation from our schools OT that our daughter has no need for an occupational therapist. I believe that was only possible with all of Erika’s hard work and our at home follow up. Erika really individualizes each child’s session. -Jennine P.

Thanks to Tatum’s teacher at school and Erika’s Play and Learn Program, Tatum has learned how to write her name all by herself in five short weeks!!!! When they started helping her, she knew the capital T and that was it. I taught her that but she wouldn’t work with me past that-grrrrr! Anyway, they’ve done awesome with her and it’s proof, if you expect growth, you will get it, regardless of the degree. All kids can improve from their current level and I’m so thankful how quickly they have helped her!!! -Molly W.

Our son began the Baby Play and Learn program 8 months ago when he was 15 months old. At the time we were seeking an educational experience with more purposeful play than traditional play groups we had seen offered for his age group. We feel the Play and Learn program offers quality instruction that is always challenging our son in new ways. Ms. Erika provides weekly lesson plans that focus on language, motor skills, art and math through music and sensory play. Our son loves to create art. He is now naming colors and learning to use scissors with one hand. We also appreciate the take home fine motor games Ms. Erika has provided. This program is a wonderful way for our son to embrace new learning experiences in a small group setting that is tailored to him. -Ashley R.

Erika began working with our 7-year-old daughter almost a year ago, and right away her teacher noticed an improvement not only in her academic performance, but in her overall confidence as well. Every lesson plan is individually tailored to how our daughter learns best, as well as coincides with what she’s learning in the classroom. Erika evaluates our daughter’s weekly work and maintains regular contact with her teachers to monitor progress and make sure that everything is seamless and effective. Erika makes learning fun through easy to remember songs and games. Math and spelling used to bring tantrums and tears; I never thought I would say this but my daughter now looks forward to learning! -Hannah M.

Ms. Erika is extremely accommodating and individualizes every lesson plan. She looks at each child as an individual and what works best for their learning. I receive a new lesson plan the night before every session so I know exactly what she is working on with my child. I appreciate that she takes the time after each session to give me feedback on how the session went as well. Since my child has been attending sessions with Ms. Erika, I have seen significant growth. She teaches with songs and games to keep learning fun. My child is learning to read as well as strengthening pre-academics. There is no doubt, my child will be kindergarten ready! -Amy H.

We love play and learn. My son had regressed at his preschool so I reached out to Play and Learn to sign him up! He is on the verge of reading and is having so much fun doing it!! Erika makes the environment for the child entertaining and educational. Best decision I made was signing my son up with her program. -Taylor W.

Our son just turned 5 in January, so he is preparing to enter Kindergarten in the fall of this year. Erika has been instrumental in making sure he is truly “Kindergarten ready”. In fact, we have been told he is more than ready as he is already reading beginner’s books, reciting numbers forwards and backwards, and generally talking at a higher level for his age. Even though we do have him in a very good preschool, which he attends five days a week, Erika has been the most significant contributor to where my son is. She is able to teach him in a way he understands and is also accepting of his “quirks”, which she is happy to work around. This not only helps my son learn more, but makes him eager and excited to learn, which is priceless. I also had thought that my son would learn some things, like cutting items with scissors and how to hold a writing utensil, in school. I was mistaken. School is great at honing these skills, but not the place where they necessarily are taught the basics (at least in my own personal experience, there are too many kids for the one on one attention that these skills require). Erika has helped us with those skills, which may seem like a small thing, but when you have people evaluating your child on those sorts of skills in regards to school “readiness”, it becomes pretty important! I cannot say enough good things about her and her methods, I am usually more fascinated to know what he did at play and learn versus school, which says a lot. We also plan for our youngest to attend play and learn as soon as he is able (he is under 1 year of age currently). We cannot thank her enough! -Sasan B.

Our daughter was in half days preschool but was not being challenged enough.
She started Play N’ Learn one year ago and the results have been significant in accelerating her learning. Erika Crossett built a weekly plan to make learning fun and a schedule to work on the things our daughter was ready to learn or needed improvement on. The very first thing she learned quickly at 3 years old was to spell and write her name. Now she goes once a week and is excited to share what she learned. We are able to share our progress reports from school and have it built in to the classes. I highly recommend this to every parent. -Jason C.

Ms. Erika is the perfect match for our son. She is so wonderfully kind and patient and makes tutoring sessions so much fun for each child. We especially love how she tailors each lesson specifically to allow our son’s strengths to shine while still nurturing his weaknesses. Something inside of him just “clicked” from day one after meeting and working with her. He has always been a very bright child, but he had absolutely no interest in learning his numbers or letters and he was definitely behind on the learning curve. I am so proud to say that now he is ahead of his class in all aspects and is even learning to read! The newfound confidence he displays is the most rewarding feeling as a parent! We absolutely adore Ms Erika and her Play and Learn program! -Michelle H.

I can’t say enough great things about Erika Crossett and Play and Learn. My now 5 year old daughter started the program last summer. She struggled with fine motor tasks, endurance and attention. Getting her to work on pre academics at home after her half day preschool program was a struggle. I knew my daughter was bright but needed a mutlisensory approach to hook her and tap into her potential. Erika is strong in building lessons that are unique to each student while still challenging them. Her communication is outstanding and I always receive a detailed lesson plan before each session. I am provided with weekly homework and communication about my daughter’s progress. I feel confident that come August, my daughter will be academically prepared (if not over prepared) for kindergarten. Her progress so far has been incredible and on her last district assessment she met or exceeded all of her pre-acdemic areas. I have been working in education for 11 years and as an administrator for 6. I know a good teacher when I see one and Erika is inherently talented at teaching. -Rebecca Y.

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Contact

Play and Learn is a tutoring and enrichment program located in Frontenac, Missouri. Sessions and classes take place at my home in Frontenac. Sessions and classes offered at various times. Please call or email for more information.